Big Stitching

If you follow my blog you know that I completed Baltimore Garden.   It will get hung in the closet till later this year when I will bring it out to begin the hand quilting process.  If you missed the reveal post you can see it here.  So what's up next?  I sandwiched my RSC2014 pickle dish quilt and started to big stitch it. I am using #8 perle cotton not my favorite, but I think looks really nice on this quilt.

Yesterday I started thinking about a project that I have had rolling around in my head since last summer. I made a compass block and some cogwheel blocks last summer  and hope to bring them together in a quilt that I am designing.  A few more applique stitches in this reverse applique block and my center medallion will be be complete. I love working on several projects at once and dreaming about other quilts I want to make keeps me going.  I will be linking up with Slow Stitching Sunday to see what Kathy and other slow stitchers are doing? Why don't you join us?

The Reveal

Well, the final applique stitches were put into Baltimore Garden. What a wonderful  two year long journey. I started this project in April of 2013 and here we are in February 2015.  Come fall, the hand quilting journey will begin.   This quilt measures 91X91 so it is a bit difficult to photograph. I was able to hang it on the moulding on a walk thru from the dining room to the foyer. But with no wall behind it it wanted to ripple a bit.

I thought I would add a few of my favorite blocks from this quilt.   

One of the small flowers on the border!

Closer and Closer

I am getting closer and closer to finishing my Baltimore Garden top.  It doesn't really seem as if it is possible.  I can remember as I looked back this week when it would take me two or three weeks sometimes to finish one block and the thought of making 25 blocks seemed impossible.  But one thing I have learned about quilting is to just enjoy each day's stitches and the impossible can happen.  This week I accomplished atttaching the borders and  the final swags on the corners.  I had a moment of "freaking out" when I laid out the first border and it seemed a bit short.  Not that the fabric was too short but the design was further away from the corner than the pattern said it should be.  So after a lot of measuring  and double checking I got the top and bottom borders attached.  They were all off by the same amount so, I don't know if it was because of the applique or the pattern. I guess it doesn't matter as it all worked out in the end.  I adjusted the corner swag pattern and after that it all went together like clock work.

Paper pattern adjustment

Prepared to machine back baste the corner swag

Since I used my machine to back baste the swags on the borders I decided why not go ahead and back baste the corner swags the same way.  It really speeds up the process and since those basting stitches come out why not use the help of my machine.  This morning I got up and did all the prep work for the final eight flowers that still need to be appliqued in place. As I was cutting out my pieces, there was a sense of calm that came over me.  There are no new challenges for me to face on this quilt. I have made everyone of the last eight flowers before. So, now it is all about just enjoying the process and the final applique stitches in this long journey of making this top. I will be linking up with WIP Be Gone and Slow Stitching Sunday to see how everyone else is doing on their WIP.

corner swag completed

Last eight flowers prepped!

Slow Embroidery Stitches

As I look back over the week, I just realized I spent a lot of time behind my sewing machine.  I accomplished trimming all the blocks and sewing them together.  When I came across a block that I signed with a pigma pen,  I worried that my signature may fade over time.   So I decided to use the back stitch and embroider over my name and date with a single strand of DMC.  Since this is a reproduction quilt that had  M.E.C. 1848 cross stitched into a block on the original quilt, I thought it fitting to add those intitials and date to a block in mine.

M. E. C. 1848

It was nice to stop in the midst of all my machine stitching to stop and do the embroidery. My sewing space has windows that face east so I was able to sit and stitch as the sun's rays gave me great light and warmed my bones.  So glad I took the time to enjoy the few extra stitches  As soon as I get the borders added I can get back to finishing the applique on the corners. Yipee more slow stitches!

This evening I will continue adding more 2 inch squares to my TATW.  Each round is taking longer and I definitely don't work on it often enough. Another drama filled episode of Downton Abby to enjoy tonight, so hopefully I will make some more progress on this project. Thirteen rounds are complete not sure when it will end. If you are adding some slow stitches today, make sure you go over to Kathy's blog and join the linky party at Slow Stitching Sundays. I am also linking up with  Angie's WIP Be Gone!

13 rounds complete

Go With the Flow

I have to give myself a pat on the back, I have had a great start to 2015. Two quilts came to completion and I am working this week to assemble Baltimore Garden.  Once it becomes a flimsie it will go into the closet till fall arrives. It will make a great hand quilting project for next winter.  So what is next.  Well, I do know my next hand quilting project will be my RSC2014 Pickle Dish that I intend to big stitch.  Just need to get it basted and ready to go.  As for piecing I started another quilt out of the book Small Pieces Spectacular Quilts.   Well, this one is called Go With the Flow and I started paper foundation piecing scraps. The paper foundations are 2.5 inches X 10 inches. I plan to sew five of these strips together to make around 15 - 20 blocks.  I haven't worked out the math yet as I want to make this a king to use on my bed.  I started stitching these as a leader and ender project, but once I start stitching I get hooked and it becomes the project of the day. There is something about stitching scraps together!  At first the strips look really wonky and ragged!  But, than you trim off the extra fabric and you have this wonderful beautiful strip of color and each one is different.  Here is what I have so far!  Now to count them up and do the math and see where I am at.  I will also have to choose a solid background  to go with these beauties, I am thinking a shade of gold, but only time will tell.

Back to Applique

With Simple But Not and Wonky Star both finished this week, it is time to get back to Baltimore Garden.  If you would like to see the completed quilts you can go here and here.  For those of you that follow my blog you know that I only had one more border to applique for Baltimore Garden before I assemble the quilt. But with  applique, I have found that taking some vacations from the project is really quite helpful.  Now with the other two projects out of the way, I can focus on the final border.  Once the border is completed I will assemble the top and then the corners swags will be appliqued and the final eight flowers will need to be added. Getting close, but there are still a lot of applique stitches to be made.

Winter has returned here!  A new episode of Downton Abbey to enjoy and a border to complete this week. Everything is falling into place. Hope you can start your week with some slow stitches too! Make sure you visit Kathy's blog today and see what all the other slow stitches are doing!

RSC2014 Finish

Last year I linked up with Rainbow Scrap Challenge 2014!  It was a very new experience for me. I had been working on using up some old stash and had some brights that I needed to use. I wanted to make a pickle dish quilt and decided if I used the black and whites I had and added a neutral gray I could use up my bright scraps.  Then I saw a wonky star that another quilter had made and decided I could stretch those scraps to make one more block a month.

So  twelve months later I had twelve wonky star blocks and a quilt was born. I had so much fun linking and sharing my progress and the enjoying the  progress of the other quilters. We only had to follow Angela's lead on which color to use each month. All of the other decisions were ours to make.  It was so much fun to see all the creative blocks each Saturday.  I decided that my wonky star would go to my only granddaughter Aria. She loves everything princess and will soon be four.  But first, I needed to get it quilted.    I took a craftsy class on straight line quilting and decided this would be  a perfect opportunity to practice what I had learned. Why not start with something simple. Straight lines across the quilt at a 45 degree angle. Sounds simple doesn't it.  Well, after starting I wondered what I had gotten myself into.   It is so much different than hand quilting.  In my book, it was so much harder. I know my arms got a workout.  I also know why the instructor kept saying take it slow. Getting and keeping those lines straight is a real job.  My lines are not perfect, but I reminded myself this was my first attempt at a larger project.  So last night I finished the binding and threw it in the wash.   I love the way it turned out the texture is wonderful and the cotton batting softened up and has a great drape.  I also made a pillow case to match out of the few scraps I had left.  So today I am linking up with So Scrappy to share my finished wonky star.  Thanks Angela for hosting RSC2014 I really enjoyed the challenge! Now to get that Pickle Dish quilted!

Even though it is pretty dreary here early this morning, I still like the way this quilt sparkles!

The picture up above shows the back of the quilt!  I solved the problem of not having enough width by adding a band of squares. It as also an opportunity to use up the rest of the scraps.

matching pillowcase

Simple But Not's Debut

I know it seems like ages since I have had a finish!  Yes these quilts do take time to make especially if we are hand quilting them.  But, I happen to think they are worth the wait. Simple but Not came from a book called Small Pieces, Spectacular Quilts. In fact it was featured on the cover.

But I really really wanted a cheddar quilt, so I changed up the background and added this wonderful Marcus Brothers centennial cheddar.  I have had more compliments about the color in this quilt. I have to agree that the cheddar is spectacular, isn't it?  Enough said, on with the photos!  I don't know if it's because of the season, but I found it more difficult to get some good shots.

No verdict on the trapunto yet!  But I am leaning the other way, thinking I won't add it!